I’m thinking about asking a farmer permission to enter his property in order to get nice digiscoped pictures of SNOW BUNTINGS. This afternoon on my way home from work I made a couple of birding stops. At Pheasant Branch Conservancy, the NORTHERN SHRIKE remains as well as two NORTHERN HARRIERS and an AMERICAN ROBIN. A little further north, I checked Balzer Road and found a mixed-flock of HORNED LARKS, LAPLAND LONGSPURS and SNOW BUNTINGS.
I pulled over and watched them forage in the snow for a while. The lighting would have been really nice, but I left my digiscoping gear at home. The above pictures were taken along Balzer Road in 2002 – it’s a very reliable spot for these three species, but I just don’t think I can get close enough from the road. Perhaps getting a good picture of a Snow Bunting will be my digiscoping mission of the winter.
Lapland Longspur & Snow Bunting images © 2005 Michael McDowell
